Bioenergy NoE BioenergyNews -...

BioenergyNewsMay 2007 Special Edition15th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition, Berlin. V2,#3

Bioenergy NoE is proud tosponsor a Bioenergy Educationand Training Pavilion at the Berlinconference to promoteopportunities in the sector.Please visit the pavilion to findout more about PhD and MSccourse provisions in Europe in2007-2008.

Bioenergy NoE is an ECsponsored Network of Excellenceof eight research organisationsfrom across Europe. TheConsortium is integrating its

expertise to strengthen bioenergyRTDD in Europe and support thedevelopment of a successfulbioenergy industry.

A total of 25 oral presentationsand 30 poster presentations arebeing contributed to the Berlinconference by researchers fromthe eight NoE partner institutes. A list of Bioenergy NoEpresentations can be picked upfrom the Education and TrainingPavilion.

Inside this newsletter you willfind information on BioenergyNoE’s current activities,researchers and R&D news fromthe partners. If you would like tofind out more about BioenergyNoE, please visit our website.

I hope you enjoy the newsletterand the conference!

With best regards, Kai

>> [email protected]

>> www.bioenergynoe.com

PUTTING EDUCATION ON THE AGENDABioenergy NoECoordinator Kai Sipilä

Bioenergy NoE Coordinator Kai Sipilä urges the bioenergy community to support education and training in the field

Bioenergy NoE

Dear colleagues and students,

Welcome to this special edition of the Bioenergy Network ofExcellence newsletter for the 15thEuropean Biomass Conferenceand Exhibition in Berlin.

Bioenergy covers five per cent ofprimary energy sources in Europeand is the dominant renewableenergy source today.

The target for RES has recentlybeen set at 20 per cent by 2020boosted by the 20 per centreduction in greenhouse gasemissions in Europe. Biomassbased transportation fuels will beincreased to 10 per cent by 2020and a vision of 25 per cent by2030 is outlined in the EUBiofuels for Transport Platform.

Bioenergy markets are growing atan unprecedented rate, and soare complementary opportunitiesin advanced education andtraining in the sector. High qualityeducation and trainingprogrammes are crucial to buildboth a thriving researchcommunity and a skilledworkforce for industry.

European

Meet a researchersee page 5

BioenergyNoE contactssee page 12

Residue managementsee page 6

All the latestbioenergy newssee pages 2-4

Partner newssee pages 7-11

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.bioenergynoe.org

Activities will focus on two keyareas: Second generation biofuelsfor transport and High efficiencybiopower. These will besupported by cross cuttingactions.

Coordinator Kai Sipilä said: “Theidea was that after the first threeyears of working across the entirebioenergy chain, it was time tonominate priority areas forremaining two years, and that’show the new structure evolved.We have set clear priorities inbiofuels for transport and RES-E.”

Work will be carried out via“integrating actions” (IA) and“jointly executed researchprojects (JERs).

“Integrating actions are commonactivities to promote integrationamong Bioenergy NoE partners,set strategies and facilitateinformation exchange,” explainedProf. Sipilä.

“But most of our resources overthe remaining project period willbe allocated to JERs. This iswhere the core research will becarried out and the activities willinclude external funding” headded.

The Biofuels for Transportstrategy area will be coordinatedby Herman den Uil from theEnergy Research Centre of theNetherlands.

“I’ve always viewed the objectiveof this NoE as aiming for realintegration between theinstitutes,” said Dr. den Uil.

“My main aim for this integratingaction is to strengthen relationsbetween partner institutes thatare developing processes forsynthetic biofuels,” he said.

The Biofuels for transport IAincludes three JERs. The SugarEthanol JER looks at developmentof valuable co-products ofethanol production. The Wood

Ethanol JER will explore plans tocooperate in development on thedesign of wood to bioethanolR&D plant in Austria. While theSustainability JER will assess thesustainability of secondgeneration biofuels.

The RES-E area is beingcoordinated by Tuula Mäkinenfrom VTT, Finland.

“I see this integrating action asbeing a collaborative platform forresearch carried out within theJERs,” said Mrs. Mäkinen.

“We are planning workshops onspecific topics including cofiringof biomass fuels in fossil-fuelfired power plants and smallscale biomass-based CHP or

electricity production,” she said.

The fluidised bed co-firing JERwill focus on high efficiency CHPgeneration of cofiring large sharesof biomass and waste derivedfuels. While the SNG frombiomass JER will quantifyprospects for biomass SNG inEurope, looking at ways toreduce GHG emissions and costs, and increase renewableenergy use.

Cross cutting actions includeEnvironmental Bookeeping led byHannes Schwaiger of JoanneumResearch in Austria, Agroenergyled by Magdalena Rogulska of ECBREC in Poland and anIntegration action led by VTT.

Board Members finalisedthe new structure forBioenergy NoE’s activitiesin 2007/08 at a meeting in Brussels this April.

BIOENERGY NOE STRUCTURE 2007-08

Carl Wilén, Benôit Gabrielle, Hannes Schwaiger and Yrjö Solantausta at the recent Board Meeting

Bioenergy NoE’s new structure for 2007-08 has set key priorities in Biofuels for Transport and RES-E. Work is divided into

Integrating Actions in the purple boxes and Jointly Executed Research projects in the green boxes.

2

6. SEA AU

1. Biofuels for transportstrategy area ECN

1.3 SustainabilityVTT

NoE2007-08

1.1 Sugar EtOHINRA

Cross-cutting activities

3. IntegrationVTT

3.2 Bioenergy IndustrialInnovation Mgt VTT

1.2 Wood EtOH JR

3.1 Strategy & PolicyIIIEE

4.1 ETS JR

4.2 Times, Bioenergyin Europe, VTT

4. EnvironmentalBookkeeping, JR

5.2 LCA Energycrops INRA

5.1 OSCAR INRA & EC BREC

5. Agroenergy ECBREC

2.2 SNG frombiomass ECN

2. RES-E strategy area VTT

2.1 Fluidized bedco-firing VTT

NEWS FROM THE BIOENERGYNOE BOARD

BioenergyNewsEuropean

The initiative and idea for thisjoint action originally resultedfrom the work of the BioenergyNetwork of Excellence.

Phydades central task will be tofurther develop and improve theexisting Phyllis database forproperties of solid biofuels andbioashes. In addition to screeningthe existing data in Phyllis, asignificant amount of new datawill be added.

Partners will contribute data fromtheir own laboratories and byliaising with their industrialcontacts.

The existing database will notonly have a new design andname, but it will also bedeveloped to comply with theCEN specifications for biofuels,for instance CEN/TS 14961 (Fuelspecification and classes) andCEN/TS 14588 (Terminology).

The second task is to disseminatethe use of those biofuelsstandards in the EU countries.This will be done by means ofpublic workshops and training oflaboratory staff from the newmember states.

The Phydades website, with linksto the database and othervaluable resources, will serve asa solid dissemination tool, wherebuyers and sellers of biomassfuels can find reliable informationon compositions of fuels, ashesand on the use of standards.

The three essential elements of the action are:

• Collecting information andbuilding the database

• Education, includingpreparation of training material,organising workshops and on-the-job training, and

• Dissemination through a publicwebsite with access to the newdatabase, and distribution ofmaterials.

Jan Pels, Co-ordinator, ECN, The Netherlands


Eija Alakangas, VTT Finland


>> www.phydades.info

Here, Philip Peck and KesMcCormick from IIIEE, LundUniversity and Tomas Kåberger,Vice President corporatedevelopment at TallOil inSweden, explain how their newJER project aims to strengthenthe relationship betweenbioenergy industry and policy.

Several factors pose barriers to the uptake of bioenergy in industry:

• Unattractive economicconditions and perceptions of economic risk;

• Lack of technical andintellectual capacity;

• Weakness of stimulating andsupporting actor networks;

• Insufficient policy support;• Inadequate supply chain

coordination and material-logistics rationalisation, and

• Customer (industrial and retail)understanding of technicalsystem offerings.

Of these factors, the economicpicture is often perceived asbeing paramount and sustainedhigher oil prices and significantpolicy support are often seen asa sufficient stimulus to resolvedifficulties. In recent years, highoil prices and the policymeasures in Europe do appear to have created economicconditions that should besufficient for a significant increasein bioenergy use.

However, industrialists andinvestors – those very actorsexpected to be at the centre ofgrowth in the sector – aredescribing the situationsomewhat less optimistically. Thisis the key problem to beaddressed.

Policies that support bioenergy(and thus help underwriteindustry investment in bioenergy)

are often perceived as uncertainand negative feedbackmechanisms in the market havebeen experienced. Moreover, theimplementations of systems likeETS have shown industries incompetition with the bioenergysector are able to capture theprocess, slowing the introductionof bioenergy.

One result is that in manycountries investments are notmade until the expected profitsare very large. In many instancesthis can be seen as a function ofinsurance against significantperceived political risks. Putsimply, a situation is beingdescribed where industrialists donot trust policymakers. Such asituation in turn leads to newchallenges – or negative feedbackloops.

The objectives of this JER are toinvestigate key areas ofmisalignment between policyinterventions and industrialbioenergy strategies and todelineate pathways for resolutionand to catalyse closerrelationships and understandingbetween industrial actors andbioenergy policy makers in orderto find ways to increasebioenergy investments.

Philip Peck, IIIEE, Lund University


The Phydades project kicked off on 15–16 February2007 in Amsterdam. Phydades, short forDissemination, Education and Standardisation ofPhyllis Database for Biofuels and Bioashes, is partof the Intelligent Energy – Europe programme forheat from renewable energy sources.

In the coming year, the bulk of Bioenergy NoE’s research will take place in the 11 new Jointly Executed Research (JER) projects.

www.bioenergynoe.com

Together the Phydades team will build the most comprehensive online database of

solid biofuels and bioash properties in the world

PHYDADES SET TOCREATE WORLD’SLARGEST BIOFUELSDATABASE

3

MAKING BIOENERGYINVESTMENTS FLOW:ALIGNING POLICY ANDINDUSTRIAL BIOENERGYSTRATEGIES

JER leader Philip Peck from IIIEE, Sweden




http://www.phydades.info


http://www.bioenergynoe.com

BIOSYNERGY

ECN, Aston University, JoanneumResearch and VTT are four of the17 partners involved inBiosynergy — a €13 million ECbiorefinery project launched lastmonth.

The BIOSYNERGY IntegratedProject aims to make biomassderived products cost competitivewith fossil fuels by developingand designing innovativebiorefinery concepts.

Despite rising petrol prices, usingbiomass to producetransportation fuels, and to alesser extent energy, is still moreexpensive than using traditionalpetrochemical resources.

However, a biorefinery can scale-up production and efficiencywhile cutting costs by makingmultiple products and maximisingthe value of the feedstock. Forexample, a biorefinery couldproduce a number of high valuechemicals, large volumes of liquidtransport fuels and use theexcess energy to heat and powerthe plant.

The chemicals boost profitability,transport fuels replace some ofthe fossil fuels currently on themarket, and reusing excess heat

and power cuts carbon emissionsfurther.

Led by the Energy research Centreof the Netherlands (ECN),BIOSYNERGY comprises academicand industrial partners fromacross Europe.

Researchers will use advancedfractionation and conversionprocesses for biomass andcombine biochemical andthermochemical pathways todevelop the most economical andenvironmentally sound solutionsfor large-scale bioenergyproduction.

Hans Reith, BIOSYNERGYCoordinator based at ECN said:“BIOSYNERGY aims to achievesound techno-economic processdevelopment of integratedproduction of chemicals,transportation fuels and energy,from lab-scale to pilot plant.

“This project will be instrumentalin the future establishment ofbiorefineries that can producebulk quantities of chemicals, fuelsand energy from a wide range ofbiomass feedstocks,” he said.

BIOSYNERGY will set-up pilotplants of the most promisingtechnologies for a “bioethanolside-streams” biorefinery, in close

collaboration with thelignocellulose-to-bioethanol pilot-plant of project partner Greencell,currently under construction inSalamanca, Spain.

Aston University will lead work toidentify the optimum biorefinerybased biomass-to-product chainsfor a future European bio-basedeconomy, test and characterisebiomass and lignin in its fastpyrolysis reactors, and produce aBIOSYNERGY Road Show tocommunicate results.

VTT’s role will be to help developadvanced biochemical conversionprocesses for the conversion ofsugars and lignin into higheralcohols, sugar acids andfunctional lignin derivates.

While Joanneum Research willdevise environmental profiles forvarious biorefinery concepts andquantify environmental impactsand benefits.

Hans Reith, BIOSYNERGY Co-ordinator


www.biosynergy.nl

BIOREFINERY BUILDING BLOCKS

Two new biorefinery projects involving BioenergyNoE partners were recently launched. Some of theinitial concepts for the projects were developedthrough NoE activities.

4


BIOPOL

IIIEE joins ECN and ECBREC in anew EU project entitled“Assessment of BIOrefineryconcepts and the implications foragricultural and forestry POLicy”(BIOPOL).

Kes McCormick from IIIEE, LundUniversity said: “BIOPOL aims toassess the biorefinery conceptand explore the potentialimplications for agricultural andforestry policy in the EU. The firststep for the partners is to narrowdown the definition of whatconstitutes a biorefinery.”

The IIIEE will lead the work onpolitical aspects. The first task isto explore the political legitimacyof the biorefinery concept amongthe policy community andpolitical circles in the EU. Thiswork will involve a generalquestionnaire and in-depthinterviews in six member states:Sweden, UK, Netherlands, Greece,Poland and Germany.

The second task is to investigatethe implications of renewablepolicy, forestry policy andagricultural policy for the viabilityof the biorefinery concept. Thiswill be based on in-depthinterviews and a literature reviewof relevant documents.

Kes McCormick, IIIEE


Philip Peck, IIIEE


Biosynergy partner Abengoa's bioethanol

production facility Ecocarburantes

Españoles in Cartagena, Spain.


http://www.biosynergy.nl



You just finished your PhDthesis—congratulations! Whatwas the topic?

Thank you, it’s nice to be done!My thesis investigated some ofthe problems with usingwoodchips for energy. Today thepopularity of woodchips as abioenergy resource is growingthroughout Europe, but for woodheating to really take off, somefundamental issues need to besolved.

The most important issuessurround the storage and dryingof woodchips. Storage can causethe wood chips to lose mass andcalorific value, to increase intemperature and cause excessivegrowth of microorganisms—all ofwhich devalue the chips as anenergy source.

My research focused on threeareas: first I formulatedmathematical models of dryingfor thin and thick layers of woodchips; second, I researched thechanges that occur during woodchips storage in three differentconditions: in a storage chamber,in a storage chamber ambient-airventilated and in storagechamber heated-air ventilated;and finally I undertookmicrobiological analysis duringstorage and unloading, includingdetermination of water activity.

How did you approach theresearch?

I selected wood chips with aninitial moisture ranging fromabout 45 to 56 per cent. Themajority of the wood chipsused—around 95 per cent—werepine wood, but I also used fir. Idid the kinetic drying research inthe Institute of AgriculturalEngineering at the AgriculturalUniversity in Wroclaw. Then Iwent to the Institute for Building,Mechanisation and Electrificationof Agricultural in Warsaw to docomparative testing of woodchips storage in differentconditions.

What did you find out?

I found that the parameters ofthe drying air, for example the airtemperature and speed of flowthrow the wood chips’ layer, arecrucial to the drying process.Generally, increasing thethickness of the wood chips pileby 6 cm requires an increase indrying time of about 10 per cent.

During storage, the airtemperature in the chambers wasambient. As well as the initialmoisture of wood chips, weatherconditions also impact on thedevelopment of microorganismswithin the heap. Aerobicmesophile bacteria and fungiwere most likely to develop attemperatures above 16°C and ahigh relative moisture of air ofabove 70 per cent.

As for the economics, the cost ofwood chips storage for twovariants: ambient-air and heated-air ventilation, varied from a fewup to over 100 Polish zlotys perbulk metre of wood chips. Themore moist the material, thehigher the drying costs.

During your PhD thesis with ECBREC, you were also a member of Bioenergy NoE. Did beinginvolved in this EU network help you?

Definitely. Bioenergy NoE offersexcellent opportunities forresearchers in the network totake part in a researcherexchange.

In September 2005, I arranged anexchange to Finland to talk toVTT researchers about issuesrelated to my thesis.

The two week exchange gave mea real insight into the work beingdone in Finland on biomassdrying and storage. I visited theVTT locations in Jyväskylä and inEspoo to discuss wood, pelletsand peat production, handlingand storage with a number ofleading experts in the field. Thatvisit helped me to narrow mythesis topic.

What was the highlight of the visit?

I really enjoyed the technicalstudy tours organised as part of

the International Bioenergy inWood Industry Conference andExhibition in Jyväskylä.

We trekked through the forests ofCentral Finland to see the latestwood fuel procurement systems,harvesting and chippingtechnologies machinery andtechnologies.

Laboratories and books are ahuge part of PhD research, andsometimes it gets a bit isolating.So there’s nothing like gettingout into the field and actuallylooking at bioenergy being putinto practice to inspire you tokeep pursuing research.

What are your plans now thatyou’re finished the thesis?

I’m working as a researcher at ECBREC. We’re really busy thesedays and there are a lot ofinteresting projects relating to mywork, so I don’t have a chance toget bored!

I love photography and travel soit’s a bonus that our institute isinvolved in a number of EUprojects because I get a chanceto see different parts of Europe.


CHIPPING HER WAY TO THE TOP!MARZENA HUNDER, EC BREC, POLAND

A young woman who’s passion forphotography is only matched by herenthusiasm for woodchips, MarzenaHunder is a promising young bioenergyresearcher at EC BREC in Poland. Shetalks to Crystal Luxmore about her PhDthesis and the perks of working inbioenergy RTD in Europe.

Meet a Bioenergy NoE Researcher

5

EC BREC colleagues Ewa Ganko, Lucyna Formela and

Marzena Hunder at the Bioenergy NoE Researchers’

Meeting in Helsinki last October.


There is no such thing as a freelunch! All of our actions haveunwanted side-effects, just thinkabout the weight an opulent mealputs on you. And our technicalprocesses are no different in thisrespect.

An unwanted side-effect ofbioenergy processes is theappearance of by-products andresidues because nearly all ofthese products come withdisposal costs. This is a big issuewhen considering energy recoveryfrom waste. Bottom ashes, filterashes and gas cleaning productsfrom waste incineration containtoxic elements like heavy metals,salts, and organic micro-pollutants.

Thanks to intense R&D efforts toimprove the combustion processand the quality of the variousmaterials used, technologies andstrategies are now available toguarantee sustainablemanagement of all residues fromwaste incineration.

Bottom ashes have goodpotential for reuse. After pre-treatment they are used assecondary building material inroad construction in many EUcountries. However, treatedbottom ashes do not have acommercial value because theyhave to be pre-treated and aretypically offered without charge.The main benefit is savings ofdisposal costs, which in manycountries are higher than the gatefee at a landfill site, and will onlyincrease in the future. From anenvironmental viewpoint, anadditional benefit is the

replacement of natural buildingmaterials like gravel.

Residues with higher quantities ofpollutants, like filter ashes andgas cleaning residues can only bedisposed of on special andexpensive sites, preferentiallyunderground. Reuse is mainlyprohibited by the treatment costof available processes. However,a macroeconomic evaluationmight conclude that treatment,such as metal recovery from filterashes, pays off in the long term.

Residues from other bioenergyprocesses like biomasscombustion or gasification, by-products of pyrolysis and eventhe solids from anaerobicdigestion are far lesscontaminated by heavy metals.Although for these materials, too,

contamination cannot be ruledout, especially if waste materialsare co-treated. In any case theconcentration of halogens andalkali metals should bemonitored.

In its review ‘Management ofSolid Residues in Waste-to-Energyand Biomass Systems’ BioenergyNoE’s Biogenic Waste to Energywork package, pointed to a lackof knowledge on the quality ofresidues from the abovementioned processes, at leastcompared to that on wastecombustion residues.

As a final conclusion, the reviewstated a need for further researchon long-term reliablemanagement strategies, especiallyfor all types of residues from gascleaning in all processes.

Additionally the residues from co-combustion of waste and coal,from combustion of SRF, fromgasification and pyrolysis, as wellas from fermentation of biogenicmatter need more detailedinvestigation.

The challenge in all residuemanagement scenarios -especially if these residues derivefrom waste or contaminated fuels- is the definition of sinks forpollutants. This task not only hasa scientific and technical aspect,an environmentally sound after-care solution must be found ifbiogenic waste to energy is tomeet socio-economic expectationsand secure public acceptance.

Juergen Vehlow, FZK


RESIDUE MANAGEMENT – ANOFTEN OVERLOOKED PROBLEMIN BIOENERGY UTILISATIONBioenergy NoE’s BiogenicWaste to Energy workpackage (WP) wrappedup in December. In thisarticle, WP LeaderJuergen Vehlow sharesits recommendations onfuture directions forresearch into residuemanagement.

6


Above: Reuse of pretreated

bottom ashes, seen here in

a freshwater incinerator,

offer cost savings and

environmental benefits to

the bioenergy production

process.

Right: Bottom ashes,

leftover from biogenic waste

incineration, are commonly

treated and reused in

construction projects like

road paving in Europe.


Miscanthus is high yielding, rich inlignocellulose and requires little agriculturalinputs. Growing this crop on a large-scale inFrance will involve developing croppingsystems that seek to optimise energybalances and minimise environmentalimpacts. Several teams at the Institut Nationalde la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) inFrance, have joined forces to combine theadaptation of crop management sequenceswith genetic improvement of the plant.

Advantages of Miscanthus

Miscanthus giganteus is a perennial grassoriginally from Asia. It has two outstandingqualities for biofuel production: it produces a large amount of biomass and requires fewinputs. The exceptionally high yield ofmiscanthus is due to its "C4" carbonmetabolism, which is similar to other plantsof tropical origin. This type of metabolismmeans it can more efficiently capture carbongas and transform it into organic material.

Moreover, miscanthus is a perennial crop.After being planted, it will produce crops forover 15 years. The first year is crucial becausethis is when the plant establishes its rootsystem. Plant growth is slow and competitionwith weeds is steep. The use of herbicides

allows the plant to establish itselfsatisfactorily. At the end of the first year, the crop is ground and returned to the soil,creating a surface bed that limits weedgrowth. In the following years, the crop growsquickly and does not require herbicides, nordoes miscanthus require fungicides orinsecticides.

Adaptation of crop management sequences

Optimal crop conditions are required formiscanthus to reach its full potential. In 2006,INRA researchers set up experimentalmiscanthus plantations as part of the nationalREGIX project.

The trials began simultaneously with sevenpotentially attractive species for energyproduction. These included three "C4" species(miscanthus, switchgrass and sorghum), threeannual "C3" species (triticale, alfalfa andfescue) and plantations of poplars as short-rotation coppice (SRC).

The quantity and quality of the biomass foreach species and for varying crop conditionswill be measured. INRA researchers willevaluate the biomass quality biomass for itstransformation into fuel. Depending onwhether the conversion of lignocellulose into

ethanol or wood is based on a biological orthermochemical method, the crucialparameters are (i) the content of minerals,such as silica or chlorine, that are undesirablein the thermochemical method, and (ii) thewater content and lignin/cellulose ratio, whichinfluence the fermentation yield in thebiological method.

Genetic improvement

In addition to these studies, a project wasinitiated in 2007 to study the geneticvariability of miscanthus for agriculturallyvaluable traits, including production of above-ground biomass, traits associated withflowering biology and physiology of nitrogenmetabolism.

This research is the first step in studying thegenetic determinism of miscanthus biomassproduction under abiotic stress (nitrogenavailability, temperature conditions of the airand soil, water availability, etc.) in view ofcreating varietal innovations for NorthernEurope and for use in bioenergy.

Jean Tayeb, INRA


MISCANTHUS PAVES THE WAYFOR A RENEWABLE FUTURE

Relatively unknown inEurope, Miscanthusgiganteus is now in theEuropean spotlight as abiofuel crop


7


INRA is carrying out miscanthus crop

trials all over France, like this one on

the INRA Estrées-Mons farm



According to current regulationsonly five per cent RME can bemixed with diesel or five per centethanol with gasoline. Refinerymade second generation biofuelsare needed for better handlingand blending characteristics.

New fuels must be carefullychecked to ensure they meetemission levels, good driveabilityand other crucial standards.Analysing only the regulatedgaseous and mass PM emissionsis no longer enough to assessnew fuels or emission controlconcepts. A more comprehensiveunderstanding of exhausts isbecoming a must.

VTT has a modern engine andvehicle laboratory equipped witha heavy-duty chassisdynamometer, a full flow dilutiontunnel and both transient andstatic engine dynamometers. Inaddition to regulated exhaustemissions a wide variety ofunregulated emissions can be

measured. Today, particulatecharacterisation, on-line particlenumber measurement andgaseous emission measurementsare common tests. VTT has alsodeveloped systems to trap eventhe hard-to-catch semi-volatileportion of the exhausts.

VTT’s heavy-duty chassisdynamometer is used to examinesmall changes in fuelconsumption and exhaustemissions. If needed, duty cyclescan be recorded, for examplefrom certain bus lines and thereal duty cycle can be run onchassis dyno with goodrepeatability. This offers thepossibility to test new fuels inthe latest technology vehiclesunder real driving conditions.

Demand for diesel fuel is quicklyincreasing in Europe. The EUBiofuels directive has led manyEU countries to demand a certainpercentage of biofuels in theirtransport fuels. This is one

Small scale combined heat andpower (CHP) is generally definedas having a power output below1 MWe. The CHP directive alsoclassifies Micro CHP with anoutput below 50 kWel. Differenttechnologies for biomass CHP uselike gasification, (organic) rankinecycle ((O)RC) and the Stirlingtechnology are being developedbut have yet to reach technicaland commercial maturity.

For economic reasons, small scaleCHP plants have to be simplifiedand are usually pre-engineeredmodular units. Annual operatinghours typically vary between4000 – 5000 hours, mostly partialload. The small physical size ofthe plants, short delivery timeframes (8 – 20 months) and thegeneral uncertainty in the energymarket work in favour of simple,cheap plants. Therefore advancedprocess alternatives, which wouldincrease the efficiency but alsothe costs of the plant, are notusually applied in small scaleCHP technologies.

Stirling engineprototypes at JoanneumResearchSeveral biomass driven Stirlingengines are under developmentin Europe, but there is still nobiomass driven Stirling enginecommercially available. A keychallenge is the heat transfer intothe process. Ash and slag withinthe flue gas force developers toconstruct bigger engines withspecial heat exchanger designs.Joanneum Research hasdeveloped two prototypes thataim to meet this special demand.The engines have passed longterm test runs in the laboratoryand will be put into practicaloperation in spring 2007.

Both engines are 520 rpm, usenitrogen as working fluid, haveset temperatures of heat

input/output at 1000/750 °C,electrical efficiency of 21-23 percent and are fuelled by woodchips. The 30kWel engineoperates on pressures up to 32bar, and the 3kWel up to 30 bar.The set temperature of heatrejection/output on the 30kW is50/60 °C and on the 3kW is 30/50 °C.


>> www.joanneum.at/ief

reason why the oil industry isinterested in second generationbiofuel production. This summerwill see the start-up of Finland’sfirst 170 000 t/a biofuelproduction line. Research facilitieslike VTT’s engine and vehiclelaboratory can help ensure that

second generation biofuels arethe cleanest burning fuel on the road.

Matti Kytö, VTT


The share of biofuels for transport is increasing fast.At the moment rape seed methyl ester (RME) andethanol are the most common bio components, butboth come with some disadvantages.

Joanneum research is developing Stirling engineprototypes that could help commercialise smallscale CHP.

SECOND GENERATION BIOFUELS OFFER SIGNIFICANTIMPROVEMENTS TO TAILPIPE EMISSIONS

8


DOWNSIZING: SMALL SCALE & MICRO BIOMASS CHP

The heavy-duty chassis dynamometer is used to measure fuel consumption and

emissions in large vehicles

Joanneum’s biomass driven Alpha-type

Stirling Engine, 3kWel

Joanneum’s biomass driven Alpha-type

Stirling Engine, 30kWel


http://www.joanneum.at/ief


Estimates were given in twoscenarios: business as usual andimproved competitiveness ofbioenergy due to high prices offossil fuels or obligations,subsidies or other measures.

Bioenergy use grew by 20–50 per cent in these scenarioscompared to the present situationby 2015-2020.

In both scenarios, the role ofwood fuels was significant.Energy crops and agriculturalresidues could also become moreimportant bioenergy sources, butan increase requires additionalsubsidies. Peat – defined in thisstudy as slowly renewablebiomass – enables the stablequality and availability of fuel mixfor large scale energy production.

The use of biomass increasedsignificantly in large scale heatand power production, both inindustry and in the districtheating sector.

The heating sector in particularrequires financial incentives toreplace fossil oil and electricity in existing buildings with woodpellets, logs and chips. The roleof liquid biofuels is estimated to grow, but its share is stillexpected to be modest by 2015-2020.

Satu Helynen, VTT

Chairman of the BioenergyAssociation of Finland


BIOENERGYPOTENTIALS INFINLAND

The estimated increase of use of biomassfor energy by 2015-2020 intwo scenarios in finland

An expert group, nominated by the Finnish Ministryof Trade and Industry, has released findings from astudy on the potential of bioenergy use in the longterm in Finland.


9


Secretary of the expert group

Satu Helynen and Kai Sipilä,

member of the expert group.

Business as usualpresent price level onfossil fuels, emissionallowance 20 €/ton

Accelerated measuresor higher price level

on fossil fuels

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Peat

Drying or condensing flue gases of wood residues

Traditional agrobiomass forliquid biomass (cereals)

Energy crops from fields

Traditional agrobiomass

Recycled biomass basedfuels

Wood for heating

Forest chips from thinning

Forest chips fromregeneration fellings

Ener

gy in

vem

tory

in T

Wh



Aston University led a successful,multi-million pound bid to continuethe UK’s largest Bioenergy R&Dconsortium, SUPERGEN Bioenergy, for a further four years.

The EPSRC-funded £6.4 million continuation willbuild on the findings of the first four years of theproject and extend the work into promising newareas of bioenergy including renewable transportfuels and biorefineries.

R&D focuses on nine themes that span the entirebioenergy chain: resources including marinebiomass; characterisation and pretreatment;nitrogen; thermal conversion; power and heat;transport fuels and biorefinery; ammonia; andsystem analysis, complemented by a disseminationand collaboration theme.

“We decided to continue to concentrate on ourcore strengths in thermal processing of biomass,especially since this is the clear direction bioenergyis taking in Europe, rather than diluting resourcesto focus on new areas,” said SUPERGEN Bioenergymanager Tony Bridgwater of Aston University.

SUPERGEN II will devote more attention to lowercost and more varied sources of biomass, like rapestraw and bark, because growing competition forhigh quality biomass is expected to drive up theprice in future.

Prof Bridgwater said he was looking forward tocollaborating with Bioenergy NoE throughresearcher exchanges and other complementaryactivities.

SUPERGEN II welcomes three new academicpartners – Forest Research, Imperial College andPolicy Studies Institute – to total ten organisations.Jenny Jones of Leeds University is the financialmanager.

Industrial partners will increase from six to elevencompanies.

“It takes about one per cent of the agriculturalland to supply one per cent of the electricitydemand, so a real impact from bioenergy isachievable, and SUPERGEN Bioenergy’s researchwill help to make it possible,” said Jenny Jones.

Tony Bridgwater


>> www.supergen-bioenergy.net

Natural gas provides half of the primaryenergy in the Netherlands. Althoughnational reserves are still large, meetingthe recent European guidelines on CO2reduction and renewables requires theintroduction of bio-SNG (Synthetic NaturalGas from biomass).

In 2003 ECN produced its first bio-SNG ina micro-flow reactor using biomassproducer gas from a 5 kW bubbling bedgasifier. Subsequent studies showedindirect gasification (e.g. the Silvagasconcept and the FICFB concept applied inGüssing) to be the most promising pathtowards high efficiency bio-SNGproduction.

The main advantage of indirectgasification is the high content of methanein the producer gas, which limits lossesinherent to the conversion of syngas intomethane. However, the advantage comesat the cost of higher hydrocarbons and tarwhich must be dealt with before or in themethanation reactor. To solve thisproblem, ECN built a 5 kW bio-SNGproduction test facility.

Producer gas is provided by a 25 kWMILENA indirect gasifier, based on aconcept developed by ECN. An 800 kWversion is under construction and will beoperational early 2008. Dust is removedby a cyclone and a conventional hightemperature filter. The existing lab-scaleOLGA tar removal system was adapted toprocess the higher tar load. Tar-free gas

passes through the SACHA system, whichconsists of three reactors filled withabsorption materials, mainly for removalof H2S, COS and HCl. Clean producer gasis fed to a series of five fixed bed SNGreactors.

In December 2006, after initial tests todetermine the operating conditions, a testwas done to monitor performance duringcontinuous operation over three days.Conversion of producer gas to CH4 wasnearly complete and stable. The productcontains tiny amounts of CO and 15 timesless H2 than CH4. Despite this excellentresult, degradation of the catalyst wasobvious. Organic sulphur compoundswhich pass through the SACHA systemmay play a role, but carbon deposition inthe reactor exposed to the mostdemanding conditions was the mostprominent problem.

Future research is aimed at findingremedies to these problems. Otheractivities involve industrial process design,upscaling, and upgrading of the productto specifications for natural gas. The lattermeans not only removal of residual COand H2, but also the removal of water andCO2, which are present in amountscomparable to the amount of CH4.

Luc Rabou, ECN


>> www.biosng.com

NEW BIO-SNG FACILITYPASSES THE TEST AT THEENERGY RESEARCH CENTREOF THE NETHERLANDS

UK BIOENERGYNETWORK SECURES£6.4 MILLIONCONTINUATION

ECN’s research on future heat supply from biomassfocuses on the production of bio-SNG. In December2006 the first successful 80 hours test wasperformed with a 5 kW SNG production test facility.

SUPERGEN II will explore a wider range of bioenergy and

biomass themes in the next four years as part of its

continuation strategy

Fixed bed SNG reactors at ECN with

thermocouples to measure temperatures

at eight positions in each reactor.

10



http://www.supergen-bioenergy.net


http://www.biosng.com

Researchers at FZK’s Institute for TechnicalChemistry, Thermal Waste Treatment Division,used Haloclean to create a new type ofpyrolysis: the intermediate pyrolysisapplicable for direct electrification of thegenerated pyrolysis fractions. This wasaccomplished using two otherForschungszentrum Karlsruhe approaches toenergy recovery from biomass:

• fast pyrolysis leading to synthetic fuels (the bioliq® process) and

• the combustion of biomass and cokes leading to heat and power.

Different types of oil containing biomass havebeen tested and successfully applied to

combined heat and power generation. Thetemperature for intermediate pyrolysis rangesbetween 350 to 550 °C combined withresidence times of one to 15 minutes.

Investigations using a process line whichconsists of a Haloclean reactor, a hot gasfiltration unit, double tube condensers and anaerosol precipitator were carried out togenerate dust and tar free pyrolysis vapours,dry cokes and dust and aerosol free pyrolysisgases from oily biomass like rape seed, theresidues from cold pressed rape.

The bar graph above shows that in the caseof 500°C pyrolysis of rape the energeticcontent of pyrolysis liquids and gases accountfor about 80 per cent of the total energyrecovered from the feed material.

These products can be used for electricityproduction, preferably in combined heat andpower systems. As the bar graph indicates,500°C provided the highest yield of the tests.In all other tests the fraction of coke wassignificantly higher. The coke can be utilisedas co-fuel in grate or dust combustionsystems as is indicated in the chart below.

FZK is continuing its work to develop andoptimise CHP systems with industrial partnerSchnell, based in Amtzell, Germany.

Andreas Hornung, FZK


USING PYROLYSIS TO TURNRAPESEED INTO ELECTRICITY Haloclean®, a performance enhanced lowtemperature pyrolysis originally developed for the thermal degradation of electronic scrap, was successfully adapted at ForschungszentrumKarlsruhe (FZK) for biomass pyrolysis.


11


Rape 500OC Rape 450OC Rape residue Rice husk Straw pellets

100

80

60

40

20

0

Gas

Water

Oil

Coke

Ener

gy in

vem

tory

in %

Fast-Pyrolysis

Gasification

Gas

Gas purification

Gas / Oil purific

Dieselengine

Gasturbine

Coke, Oil

Intermediate Pyrolysis

Oil, Gas

Slurry

Syngas

Heat

Coke

Fuel / Chemicals(centralized)

Power / Heat(decentralized)

Power / Heat / Ashes(centralized / decentralized)

Synthesis

Bioliq® Saatstrom®

Combustion(Grate combustion,Dust combustion)

Coke

Lignocellulosic biomass Lignocellulosic biomass Rape / Rape residues

(Straw, Hay, Wood) (Wood, Biogenic SRF)

Percentage of the energy yield of pyrolysis

products from different types of biomass at

500°C (rape) and for the others at 450°C

The new Haloclean pyrolysis method at FZK was created by incorporating existing biomass

treatment lines already in use at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe with the Haloclean process



BOARD MEMBERSCoordinatorVTT

Kai Sipilä

P.O.Box 100002044 VTT, Finland

t: +358 20 722 5440f: +358 20 722 [email protected]

Joanneum ResearchJosef Spitzer

Elisabethstrasse 5A-8010 Graz, Austria

t: +43 316 876 1332f:+43 316 876 [email protected]

Energy Research Centreof the Netherlands (ECN)Hubert Veringa

P.O. Box 11755 ZG PettenThe Netherlands

t: +31 224 56 4628f:+31 224 56 [email protected]

ForschungszentrumKarlsruhe GmbH (FZK)Jüergen Vehlow

Institute for Technical Chemistry –Division of Thermal WasteTreatmentPOB 3640D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany

t: +49 7247 82 4372f. +49 7247 82 [email protected]

Lund University,International Institute forIndustrial EnvironmentalEconomics (IIIEE)Thomas B. Johansson

Tegnersplatsen 4P.O.Box 196221 00 Lund, Sweden

t: +46 46 222 02 22f: +46 46 222 [email protected]

Aston UniversityTony Bridgwater

Aston UniversityBioenergy Research Group, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK


EC Baltic RenewableEnergy Centre (EC BREC)Magdalena Rogulska

EC BREC/CLNJagiellonska 55, bud.6, PL 03-301 Warszawa


Institut National de laRecherche Agronomique(INRA)Ghislain Gosse

Présidence du centre de LilleINRA 80200 Estrées-Mons, France

t: +33 3 22 85 75 [email protected]

Education and Training enquiries

SEA-2 Spreading ofExcellence ActivitiesAston University

Tony Bridgwater

Aston UniversityBioenergy Research Group,Birmingham B4 7ET, UK


Bioenergy NoE

BioenergyNewsEditorCrystal Luxmore

Public Relations and Promotions Officer

Bioenergy Research GroupAston UniversityBirmingham, B4 7ET, UK

Tel: +44 121 204 3430Fax: +44 121 204 [email protected]


DisclaimerThe Bioenergy NoE newsletter is edited and produced by the Bioenergy

Research Group, Aston University, UK, on behalf of the Bioenergy Network of

Excellence. Bioenergy NoE is sponsored by the European Commission’s DG

Research. Any opinions or material contained within are those of the

contributors and do not necessarily reflect any views or policies of the

European Commission, Aston University or any other organisation.

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